CHARLESTON, SC NEWS - LIVE 5 WCSC Breaking News, Weather, SportsCofC graduate creates his own job

CofC graduate creates his own job

By Bob Behanian  bio | email

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - Cyrus Buffum graduated from the College of Charleston in 2006 with a degree in physics and a minor in math. For the next two years he taught sailing in Charleston while searching for a more stable career.

"None of those jobs I applied for spoke to my passion and the things that I was truly interested in."

Since Cyrus couldn't find the job he wanted, he created it.  Last year he started a non-profit called Charleston Waterkeeper, a watchdog for Charleston's waterways. It's now an official member of the national waterkeeper alliance.

"I have a role in enforcing certain environmental laws, I'm making sure that businesses and even the public is accountable for their actions."

Charleston Waterkeeper wasn't created just to pick up trash from the water. Instead they worry about bigger issues, such as illegal waste dumping and abandoned boats.  For Cyrus it wasn't easy at first making Charleston Waterkeeper his top priority.

"I really stepped away from my secure job teaching sailing in order to pursue this one hundred percent. There has been consistency as far as depending on a paycheck every week."

Sacrifices he's willing to make, to make sure the area he loves doesn't lose its natural beauty.

"Charleston's backbone is out waterways. Without our waterways we would have nothing. Our economic livelihood our history, our recreational livelihood it all depends on our waterways."